Bourbon

This may look like a your prototypical mint julep but IT’S NOT! It’s not at all.

The best mint julep I’ve ever had was at this fancy restaurant in Savannah, Georgia (I forget the name, I’m sorry). They steeped the bourbon with mint for three days. It was a whole thing. And of course, as there should be, it was served with crushed ice…but unexpectedly not a ton of it and it wasn’t served in a julep cup; instead it was poured into a snifter glass. It was different and special and super fancy.

There isn’t anything fancy about this right here, but it was my goal to make an interesting take on mint julep but still keep it a classic-esque mint julep. My goal was to have the mint and sweetness in the ice. That was it. And it worked because that goal is the easiest thing in the world to achieve.

It’s like if a snow cone, granita and mint julep had a beautiful boozy child.

Pull up a chair, let’s talk about the highlights of 2013 and the goals for 2014. Was 2013 kind of a crummy year for you? Was it the best ever? Tell me…I have drinks for us!

I feel like I’ve waxed poetic about my love of bourbon and old fashioneds before, but this entire blog doesn’t have a single recipe for an old fashioned, which is kinda sad.

In my experience, there are a lot of people who know how to make terrible old fashioneds, so I usually steer clear of them if I know I’m not at a fancy mixology kinda bar. The last time I went to a dive bar and ordered an old fashioned, the bartender pulled out a packet of Sweet ‘n Low and mixed it into the bourbon. I ’bout freaked out.

I’ll need to do a classic recipe for a good old fashioned soon, but in the interim, I bring you a fun new twist: Grapefruit Old Fashioned.

I’m mostly filled with love. I like to consider myself a good, optimistic-half-glass-full kind of person. But I do curse like sailor and my “hate” list runs loooong. I guess it’s a bit of a conundrum but it is what it is. I think it’s because I know what I like and am not all that afraid to share my opinion. I like my positivity to be accompanied by a firm handshake and a bit of snark.

At the top of my “hate” list definitely lives spiders and weather that makes me sweat and tarts with glazes. Oh tarts with glazes, how I hate you! You’re so 80s in the worst way. Good 80s: Morrissey and neon (done with restraint). Bad 80s: tarts with glazes!! AHH!

And today, here I am pushing this pie situation with none other than a glaze! Who am I. But I’d like to defend this glaze. This one starts with burnt sugar and then it has a bit of water for thinning and bourbon in it. So it’s a little different. Way different, I’d say. I gave the whole thing a sprinkling of smoked sea salt because I couldn’t help myself. This is like the pie version of these Bourbon Caramel Apples with Smoked Sea Salt.

This pie may seem difficult and I’m not even gonna pretend and say it’s easy and you can make it in an hour because that’d just be silly.

It’s totally doable. But I’d say that if you’re in charge of making EVERYTHING, like, the stuffing, turkey, gravy, etc., don’t make this. I love you and wouldn’t want you to pull your hair out. But, if you’re maybe making one or two dishes then definitely make this! Why not.